Gospel in the Feasts

Paul the apostle said he witnessed by becoming a Greek to the Greek, and a Jew to the Jew. How do you give the Gospel to a Jewish person? You must explain it solely from the Old Testament. You may ask yourself, “Where do I find the “red print” in the Old Covenant? Let’s get introduced to one of the scriptures that clearly portray Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

Leviticus 23 contains God’s instructions for His Feasts. At first glance it appears to be nothing more than a set of rules and regulations. But be assured these commands point to the Savior! Look at the first three Feasts in the order the Lord gave them (Leviticus 23: 4-14). They are a rehearsal of the First Coming.

The Old Testament Rehearsal

Passover: On Passover they killed the lamb. In its simplest form, on Passover the lamb died.

UnleavenedBread: On Unleavened Bread they break a pierced and striped Matzah, wrap it in a white cloth, and hide it so the children can search for it. Every Jewish person who passes away is wrapped in a white cloth and then placed in a casket. In its simplest form, Unleavened Bread represents burial.

FirstFruits: The Lord instructed the Israelites to give a first fruits offering on the first day after the Sabbath (Passover was a High Holy Day, a Sabbath Day). They could not eat a meal until after the offering, so the Priests did it early on that Sunday morning.

The New Testament Fulfillment

Passover: The Lamb of God was crucified.

UnleavenedBread: He was buried.

FirstFruits: On the first day of the week both women named Mary went to the tomb to find that He had risen from the grave.

Put the Feasts together and we see the Lamb died on Passover, was buried on Unleavened Bread, and rose as our first fruits of deliverance on the Feast of First Fruits. He died, was buried, and rose again. Does that sound like the Gospel of the first coming to you? Of course! We arrive at a conclusion that the Gospel of His first coming is in the Feasts of the Lord. By the way, the second coming is there too!

Does your church want to learn how to reach a Jewish person with the Gospel? How much success do you have convincing them Jesus is the Jewish Messiah? Why is it so difficult? Because they don’t believe in the New Covenant. But if you reason with them from their law, how can they argue? They can’t. It’s their side of the Book!

Gospel In The Feasts is a course that teaches believers how to explain the Gospel to Jewish people. You will be able to explain the first and second coming taken directly from the Feasts that God’s chosen people have observed in their homes and in their synagogues. Our time together will equip believers to become a Jew to the Jew.

This teaching is tailored to fit your church’s time frame and individual schedule.

A Note from Mark

Hardly a day goes by when I do not think about the call the Lord placed on this ministry. Almost a decade ago He impressed me to preach the Gospel from the Old Testament. It was more than “get a quick message together.” It was a life calling. I remember asking Him, “Where do I find red print in Leviticus!!!” He would not let me down.

When I speak from the pulpit, teach a class, or share at a home group, I receive the same feedback. People have not heard the things I am teaching. But the disciples certainly understood how to give the Gospel from the Old Testament! It was the only scriptures they had! It was the basis for them to pen the New Covenant.

Paul told the Corinthians a foundational truth. The Christ died according to the scriptures, and was buried and rose the third day, according to the scriptures (1Corinthians 15: 3-4). When I share this with audiences they all nod in agreement; and when I ask them if they can explain where Paul found that in scripture, they give the “deer in the headlights” look. They’re immobilized with unfamiliarity about the subject.

It was a normal way of spiritual business after the resurrection. That is how the disciples explained what they believed. I set out to teach believers how to reach Jewish people. But I have awakened to the fact that this is also how they reached the Gentiles. Don’t we continually hear a New Testament message that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again? We look at it as historical fact. But it was predicted by Moses and used to explain our belief in the risen Savior!